Fitness Journey

In the beginning I was a 206lb "flabalicious" fat guy rapidly approaching the big 3-0. So, how am I doing? Today, about seven months in, I weighed 166.6lbs. Over the holidays I went back up to 178 lbs, but now I am working on reaching my goal of 159 lbs, 7% body fat, and a Ninja Warrior ready body.

Posts Tagged ‘obama’

…that we had a president who did more than cardio or basic pickup-basketball games? When was the last time you saw a picture of President Obama bench pressing or President Bush doing sledgehammer training? Never. Presidents can find plenty of time for bike riding, basketball, and (the most useless of sports) golf. Yet when was the last time the leader of the free world went all Rocky montage and pulled a sled, slammed a barrel, or punched a heavy bag? You know they have to be frustrated, worried, angry, upset, etc. Bike riding might be quiet, golf may be a nice slow paced “sport,” but NOTHING is as liberating as a high intensity session of sledgehammer training or pulling a 70lb sled.

A golfer needs to calm his mind to play his best game. Well, when you are flipping a 250+ lb tire it is hard to think about anything else in the world. Not only do you find relief from the trouble of the day (and who needs that more than the president), you come out on the other side with a whole new view of life. High intensity workouts are responsible for more epiphanies than falling off toilets (flux capacitor), sitting on the toilet (so claims at least one Facebook group), near death experiences, and that way you always remember something important just as it becomes completely inaccessible or useless.

So I say that the next election cycle we take into consideration more than politics and personality. We should consider a candidate’s fitness regimen. Some bold reporter should ask each candidate “How often do you train? What kind of techniques do you use to blow off steam in and out of the gym? How much does the tractor tire in your backyard weigh and how many times can you flip it before your heart almost beats through your chest? Sir or Ma’am, can you pull a sled loaded with a 100 pounds? Push a car 400 meters? Pull a car 100 meters? Do 3 sets of 12 Turkish get-ups (on each side)? Slam a stack of pringles?” Okay, maybe not the last one, but definitely the others.

This especially applies to the presidential candidates in 2012. (more…)

Is Barack Obama too thin to be trusted or related to by ordinary Americans? Do you choose who you will vote for based on their food and exercise choices? Would Wm. Howard Taft or Abraham Lincoln have a chance of being elected today in our image conscious world- the former would be too fat and the latter too tall and lanky. In a rather disappointing and humorous article the Wall Street Journal has fun pointing out the role food choices have played in presidential elections. One of my favorite stories from the article focuses around John Kerry at the Iowa State Fair. (more…)